


No One Had Told Us Victory Was Like This

by nikki_raves



Series: A Hidden Village [1]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: Abuse, Dark, Dark Magic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fae & Fairies, Fairy!Robbie, Heavy Angst, Kidnapping, M/M, Rape alluded to but not explicitly described in detail, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Trauma, eventual sportarobbie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-09-22 04:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 20,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9583034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikki_raves/pseuds/nikki_raves
Summary: Set before and leading up to Robbie's arrival in Lazytown.Robbie was just 20 when he was kidnapped by the Dark Elves. Seperated from Glanni, he has no idea how to get back. He misses home terribly and is willing to do anything to escape.[Edit: Part 2 is now up!]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I just wanted to post a heads up that this is not a light story. I'm working through some things and found this very cathartic to write but if this is not your style then I wanted to warn you here.
> 
>  
> 
> You can find me on tumblr [here! :)](https://lazytown-is-life.tumblr.com/)

“I have to get out, I _have_ to get out,” Robbie whispered desperately, clawing at the big wooden door that kept him inside this wretched room. He knew he was running out of time. His magic was giving out, weakened by the spells woven into the cell walls. Soon he wasn’t sure if he would be able to Cast at all.

He had been traveling with Glanni when it happened. Robbie had been distracted, had let his guard down for just one moment while Glanni was busy with a scheme. One moment was all it had taken. He was gone by the time his brother returned.

That was two weeks ago. Robbie knew that Glanni’s magic signal wouldn’t be able to find him, not through these walls. He leaned back, head between his knees, trying not to give up but feeling so, so hopeless. So alone.

The floor of his cell was covered with dirt that sometimes leaked from the cracks in the ceiling. It made breathing difficult, and Robbie was constantly coughing. It made him suspect, though, that his cell was underground. That would only make escaping harder—the Underground was the domain of the Dark Elves, the ones who had taken him.

Robbie heard footsteps approaching his door and a blind panic filled him. He scrambled as far as he could away from the tall figure filling the doorway.

Angry red eyes glinted down at him. The figure stepped forward into the light of the cell.

“Hello little bird,” he said, smiling cruelly.

Robbie paled. He had hoped the elf wouldn’t visit him tonight, but he knew he wouldn’t be so lucky. Bile threatened to rise up his throat and Robbie bit it back. He shivered at the memory of what happened the last time he threw up in front of the elf. His heart was painfully pounding in his chest, so loud that Robbie thought the elf must hear it.

The elf locked the door and walked closer to Robbie. Robbie was tall but the elf was almost a foot taller, all muscle and evil magic.

“P-please…” Robbie begged, knowing it would fall on deaf ears but still forcing himself to try. The elf only laughed.

“Oh little bird, must we do this every time? I know you pretend not to enjoy it. Why don’t you just…” The elf slid his hand down across Robbie’s cheek before violently grabbing his wrists. “…give in?”

The elf was not gentle.

*

Robbie woke with a start, momentarily disoriented. He had no concept of what time it was, but suspected it was morning. He tried to get up and winced at the pain between his legs. The scratches on his arms burned and he felt bruises on his ribs and back. He shakily ran a hand through his hair, wishing more than anything that he could be with Glanni, content and _free._

The flap on his cell door swung inward as someone dropped off food for him. Robbie looked half-heartedly at the bread and roots. He knew he should eat but he had no appetite. Over the last two weeks Robbie had lost a shocking amount of weight. He was glad the cell had no mirrors; he knew he wouldn’t like what he saw.

Robbie reached for the tray, and when he did the sleeve of his shirt rode up a little. Something glinted in the dim light. Robbie rolled up his sleeves to see what it was.

_Oh no._

Thick golden bands reaching from wrist to mid forearm decorated both arms, set so tight against his skin that they didn’t budge. They were carved with intricate designs and inlaid with a vivid green that glittered ominously. They felt almost…alive, and they hummed gently with powerful magic.  

“Fuck,” Robbie breathed. His blood turned to ice. What little hope he had extinguished immediately.

These were enthrallment bands.

Robbie stared at them in horror, not even daring to touch them. Enthrallment bands were a form of dark magic that—that…

Robbie racked his brain, trying to remember exactly what they did. He knew the bands kept the wearer from physically leaving the possessor, but he couldn’t remember how large the range of distance was. He sat in the middle of the cell, horror washing over him, feeling more miserable than ever.

Suddenly the door swung open. That was strange…Robbie hadn’t heard any keys.

The elf loomed over him, his left wrist raised towards the lock on the door.

“I see you’ve noticed my gift. What do you think?”

“Wh—I don’t—” Robbie choked back a sob. The elf smiled wider and came inside to kneel down next to him. He showed Robbie the matching silver band on his own arm. The left arm.

“Now you can never fly away little bird. You are mine.” The elf leaned into the man’s ear. “Forever.” Robbie shivered and the elf laughed. He yanked Robbie up by the arms and started walking out of the cell. “You need a bath.”

*

The elf led Robbie through dozens of tunnels, the walls rough and black like they were carved out of stone. Eventually they arrived at the bathing room, or that’s what Robbie assumed it was. It was a big round room with an equally large pool of water in the center. The air was hot and heavy. Steam coiled up from the surface of the water.

“Get in,” the elf ordered. Robbie waited to see if the elf would give him a shred of privacy. When it became evident that he wasn’t, he quickly stripped out of his dirt-stained clothes and tentatively walked to the edge of the pool.

“You, make sure he gets back to his cell,” the elf barked at a bath attendant. The bath elf nodded solemnly.

“Enjoy the bath, little bird. You deserve it after your performance last night.” With a laugh, the elf left the room. Robbie turned red with shame and submerged the rest of his body into the water, glad that no one else except the attendant was there to see.

For a few minutes Robbie enjoyed the warm water on his sore, bruised muscles. He tried to relax, leaning his head back against the rock.

“—and don’t think of fucking trying anything because I’ll know if you do.”

Robbie opened his eyes at the sudden sound. He turned his head to see another elf, smaller than the one tormenting Robbie, push a girl into the pool and carelessly walk away. She yelped and tried to get her head above the water, grabbing desperately for the edge. She panted and started crying. For a long minute Robbie just stood there, not knowing how to help. She quieted down and turned to look at him, seeming to just realize that she wasn’t alone. She turned a deep shade of red and tried to cover herself. Robbie was looking at the golden bands on her arms, the carvings sparkling a soft shade of yellow.

“You have them too,” he said, staring in awe. He had thought he was completely alone, but of course he should have guessed that the other elves kept slaves as well. When the girl looked confused, he pulled his arms out of the water to show her his bands. The girl’s eyes widened.

“I—I didn’t know there were others,” she whispered, nervously glancing at the attendant.

“Me either,” Robbie admitted. “This is my first time out of the cell.”

A silence fell between them; they were both too scared to talk in case the attendant got violent. When Robbie was clean he grabbed a threadbare towel from a stack nearby and sat on the edge of the pool, not wanting to leave the girl and feel alone again. She seemed to be thinking along the same lines because she had been sitting on the edge for a while, waiting for him.

Robbie looked around for his clothes but didn’t see them. The attendant thrust some grey fabric into his hands.

“Put these on.”

Robbie looked at the grey shirt and pants. He wanted his old clothes; they were the last ties he had to his old life, the one Robbie doubted he would get back to now. The enthrallment bands hummed as if in agreement. He choked back tears and pulled on the clothes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, this is what I'm doing instead of studying for exams.

Robbie was back in his cell, running his fingers over the bands.

“Come on, _think_ ,” he murmured to himself, trying to remember what broke the magic of an enthrallment band. He kept coming up blank. He knew it had to do with the elf somehow, but after that he had no idea.

The new shirt Robbie was wearing only came to his elbows—this was no doubt the elf’s intention. Of course he would want Robbie’s shame displayed for everyone to see.

The next few days passed without event. Robbie still didn’t eat, instead spending his days flat on his back in the middle of the cell, counting the cracks in the ceiling. When dust started to rain down on him, he shifted a few inches over; that was the extent of his daily movements. Robbie was glad that the elf hadn’t come for a while, but the reasons behind that scared him. What was happening outside of his cell? After almost three weeks Robbie still had learned nothing about the Dark Elves. He didn’t know anything about their hierarchy or customs. Who was the elf who enslaved Robbie, and _why_ did he do it?

Tears threatened to overcome him again so Robbie redirected his thoughts to his only source of comfort left—his wings. He undid the glamour that hid him, watching as they weakly unfurled and draped across the floor. Purple at his back, they faded out to blue in the middle and pink at the tips. They were large, large enough to wrap around him. Robbie pulled them into his lap, sighing as he imagined flying through open, cloudless skies.

The door flew open, startling Robbie.

“Did you miss me, little bird?” The elf asked, stepping inside and then closing the door. Robbie cried out in shock, desperately throwing up a glamour to hide his wings. The elf shook his head.

“I already knew those were there. It was a good glamour, but not good enough to fool me.” The elf eyed Robbie’s wings, satisfaction written all over his face. “Don’t worry, those are reason I took you. I _want_ you to show them off. It would be a shame for me to hurt them.”

“Wh— _what_?” Robbie asked, silently strengthening the glamour as much as he could. He had good reason not to trust anything the elf said.

“Having a Fae in your possession is a symbol of _power_ , little bird. I sensed great power radiating from you, and knew you’d make a fine addition to my collection. When I am King, you will be free of this ghastly room.” The elf looked around the cell, disgusted. “I’ll give you better quarters fit for the Fae of a King.”

“I—you’re crazy!” Robbie sputtered before realizing what he had done. But the elf just threw back his head and laughed.

“I knew I was right about you. Now…” The elf’s red eyes glittered. “Show me those wings again.”

Robbie _really_ didn’t want to but he knew he couldn’t refuse. Miserably he let the glamour fall, his wings gently fluttering to his sides. The elf reached out a hand and stroked one, sending shivers down Robbie’s back. He was…surprisingly gentle with them.

“I know there is a rivalry between my people and yours,” the elf drawled. “But those who attack Courts and rip off Fae’s wings disgust me. Such beauty should be _valued_ , not destroyed.”

“What would you know about value?” Robbie snapped. “You keep me here in the dirt, you attack me whenever you want. You know _nothing_ of valuing.”

The elf looked at Robbie strangely. “I know these are not the customs you’re used to, but in this land you are treated much better than you would be elsewhere. I cannot promise that you would be guaranteed this level of safety in other Dark Elf lands.”

“Safety? Where is my safety?” Robbie spat.

“Your safety is _here_ ,” the elf said, waving one of Robbie’s wings in front of him. “Other lands would have ripped these off a long time ago in an attempt to mute your power. Here we use spells. I’m sure you’ve noticed you’re weaker than you were before.”

Robbie nodded and pointed to the walls. The elf grunted in agreement.

“The walls are designed to mute the powers of anyone who is not an elf. But I’d say that is a lot less permanent than destroying your wings. Appreciate what you have, little bird.”

Robbie’s stomach twisted sickeningly. _Appreciate what you have._ What Robbie _had_ was a brother and a family and freedom. What he had now was…nothing.

When the elf started unbuttoning Robbie’s shirt, he didn’t resist. He hugged his wings close and sobbed.

*

Robbie woke up, looking around groggily. He was alone.

There was a piece of paper next to his head. A note.

_“Dear little bird,_

_I have left the door open for you, seeing as there’s no point anymore in keeping it shut. You may walk around as you wish. I have instructed Jafet to keep an eye on you if you need help. Don’t forget your place.”_

There was no signature.

The elf’s threat loomed over Robbie’s head. He curled in his wings and threw up a glamour to protect them. He didn’t need everyone seeing them, despite what the elf said. Robbie still didn’t trust any of them, and rightfully so.

He looked down at the letter again. Robbie knew why the elf didn’t give him his name—names had power to outsiders—but he wished he had some leverage, _something_ to give him the willpower to keep fighting. It seemed…almost too easy to slip into the rhythm of this place and lose himself.

 _It must be the magic of the walls_ , Robbie thought glumly.

He walked through the door and looked around. To his left and right were other doors all identical to his. He assumed it was some sort of prison tunnel.

Robbie tried to remember the way to the bathing room but ended up somewhere completely different. This room was huge, even bigger than the bathing room. There were stone tables and benches neatly arranged from wall to wall. The space was filled with elves, all talking over each other, roaring with laughter, and eating. The air was hot and smelled like burning meat. Sweat rolled down Robbie’s spine as his anxiety started creeping up.

It was sensory overload.

After weeks of being mostly alone, Robbie had grown accustomed to the quiet. Now, hearing the loud cacophony of voices, he wanted to run and hide but had no idea which tunnel led him back to the cells. Robbie tried to think rationally but the panic was threatening to take over.

He just stood there, watching the elves look right over him as if he wasn't there. He accidentally locked eyes with a woman who was walking by. She took one look at his clothes, bands, and terrified expression and she approached him, offering a hand. Robbie looked down at it, unsure of what he should do.

Tentatively he placed his hand in hers and she started leading him through the crowd. Robbie stared at the ground, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, wishing he could just _disappear_ before the shame ate him alive…

He heard whispers behind him, and although he didn’t understand Elvish, he heard the same sound repeated over and over.

_“Hrafn.”_

The woman led him to a corner of the room where it was a little quieter. 

“You can sit here,” she said in a slightly accented voice, motioning to a cluster of benches away from the main crowd where a small, dejected group of people sat. They glanced up when he arrived. Robbie sank into the seat, his voice failing him, and looked around at the others.

They were all dressed like him, down to the bands.


	3. Chapter 3

Robbie saw a familiar face, and saw recognition flicker in her eyes.

“It’s you,” he croaked, “from the pool.”

“Yes,” she breathed. “My name is Aris.”

“Robbie,” he said. He looked around the table. There were three other people sitting there, two girls and one guy. “Are there others…like us?”

“For now it’s just us,” the guy said. “I’m Viktor.” He held up his bands, a striking black shining out from the gold.

“I’m Lara,” a girl with long blonde hair said sadly. She was playing with a bread roll in front of her, breaking it up into crumbs. Her bands were inlaid with orange.

“Tinna,” the girl sitting next to Robbie said. She was twisting her dark hair nervously between her fingers. Robbie stared at the bands on her arm. They were green, just like his.

“What does it mean?” he asked her. “When we have the same color?”

“It means we have the same master,” she said miserably. “The big one, right? With the black hair?” Robbie nodded once.

“How long have you been here?” he asked.

“About two months, I think. It’s hard to keep track of time.”

“I know, I can feel it too.” Tinna looked at him gratefully.

“I’m glad we’re not alone.”

*

“Do you know anything about this place?” Viktor asked him, furiously tearing into a chunk of meat.

“I know it’s supposed to be _nicer_ than some of the other Dark Elf territories, but not much else.”

“They’re using us for status; we think there might be an uprising soon,” Lara breathed.

“She’s been here the longest,” Aris explained.

“Five months,” Lara said bitterly. “But I’ve noticed the elves are getting restless. More fights break out in the tunnels than before.”

“So what does that mean?” Robbie asked. He was still confused.

“It means they’re going to pick a new King soon,” Lara explained.

 _“When I am King, you will be free of this ghastly room,”_ the elf had told Robbie.

“Who is the…likeliest one to win?” Robbie asked.

“Hopefully none of ours,” Aris sighed. “If they die then we are free of this curse.” She held up her arms, shooting a sideways glance at Tinna.

“Do you know if there are any other ways to break it?” Robbie asked eagerly, leaning closer. She shook her head.

“This place makes me forget…I knew a lot of things…a lot of spells. Now it’s harder and harder to me to do things.”

“So all of you are magical?” Robbie asked. They nodded.

“We’re all Fae,” Tinna whispered, briefly looking at Aris.

Robbie’s stomach growled loudly. How long had it been since his last real meal? He couldn’t even remember…

Aris pushed her tray across the table. “You should eat something. The spells drain you so it’s important to keep your strength up.”

Robbie stared at the bread and meat on the tray.

“Why do they let us walk around like this and talk to each other? Aren’t they afraid?”

“Of what?” Viktor asked bitterly, putting down the bones he had been chewing on and picking up an apple. “They have us chained and weak. We couldn’t do anything even if we wanted to.”

Robbie sank his teeth into the bread. “How long have you been here?”

“A month. They took me while I was visiting another Court.”

“But where are we now? I mean we have to be underground _somewhere_.”

“I don’t know,” Aris said. “This territory could be anywhere. Who knows which continent we’re even on?”

“Little bird!” a voice bellowed. Robbie immediately panicked.

_Oh no oh no oh no. Not yet, not yet, it’s too soon, please not yet._

“Who—” Viktor started, but stopped once he saw Robbie’s petrified expression.

“There you are!” the elf said, towering over Robbie. “Next time I call, I expect you to come running to me.” His eyes dimmed. “Ah, I’m glad you met the others. Now come with me.”

Robbie locked eyes with Viktor, whose face tightened with empathy. Slowly he got up, dragging his feet on the stone floor as he walked behind his captor.

*

The elf led him through a series of tunnels that were unfamiliar to Robbie. Eventually the elf stopped in front of a large wooden door. The lock clicked open when it recognized the magic of his band and the door swung inward.

The first thing Robbie noticed was the bed. It was _huge_ , almost four times the size of the elf. A rich red carpet lay on the floor, and the walls were adorned with black and red drapes. There was a desk to Robbie’s left that was littered with papers. The elf noticed him looking around and smiled.

“I assume this is better than the cell you’ve been living in?”

Robbie felt sick. After talking with the other Faes, after the comment the elf said to him about receiving a better room…Robbie could only assume that this elf was a strong candidate to be the next King. If that happened…Robbie couldn’t finish the thought.

“Speechless, huh?” the elf chuckled. Robbie was suddenly flooded with seething hatred so strong that heat rushed through his body. His face turned red and his fists shook.

The elf ran his hand down Robbie’s back, stopping at the waistband of his pants. Robbie saw red.

“ _Don’t touch me_ ,” he hissed. The elf stopped.

“What did you say?” Warning signals went off in Robbie’s head but he didn’t care, he didn’t care, all he knew was that he hated the way his skin felt after the elf touched him, he hated the smell of him, he hated the feel, he hated the sound, he hated the—

Robbie fell hard onto the stone. His whole face stung and he felt blood dripping down his mouth.

“Don’t forget your place, Fae,” the elf warned, kicking Robbie over and over and over. Robbie faded in and out of consciousness; his eyes lost focus, the only thing he felt were the kicks to his ribs, his legs, his back.

When Robbie woke up he was in the bed, but he didn’t remember how he got there. Light shined in through the big windows and he closed his eyes. He tried to sit up and was hit with nausea so strong that he had to lie back down. Pain thudded through his entire body, he didn’t know where it ended and where it began. For hours he lay still, until the room grew dark again, trying to bite back the overwhelming urge to vomit. After a while, he fell asleep.

When he woke up it was morning again. Robbie stirred, trying to figure out what day it was. He guessed this was the second day since the elf had attacked him. The nausea had gone but his body was horribly stiff and sensitive. He staggered out of the bed, crying out in pain, knees buckling in agony. He kneeled on all fours on the carpet, willing himself to stand up again.

“I see you’re awake,” said a cold voice. Robbie yelped in fear, looking up to see the elf sitting at his desk. “I am going to give you one more chance, little bird. If you disobey me like that again, I will lock you back in that cell until you _rot_. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-yes,” Robbie choked, coughing blood onto his arm.

“Good.” The elf returned to the document he was studying. “Go and clean yourself up, you’re a mess.”

Robbie didn’t know how long he sat there on that carpet, trying to summon the energy to get up. After what felt like decades, he shakily got onto his feet and shuffled out of the bedroom.

*

He clung to the rough wall for support, trying to remember which tunnel led down to the bathing room.

_Come on Robbie, you have to remember…hurry up and remember…_

A timid hand touched his shoulder and he yelped in fear, accidentally letting go of the wall and falling to his knees.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Tinna said, kneeling down to help Robbie up.

“Oh…it’s ok, thank you,” he grimaced, grabbing her arm as he was little a little unsteady. “Ouch!” He hastily withdrew his hand, wincing.

Tinna’s enthrallment bands were hot enough to burn.

“Why are they doing that?”

“It’s a summons,” she said, staring hopelessly at the ground. “It means the elf wants to see me. Is that what happened to you—to your—” She gestured at his face and he nodded.

“I was just leaving his room but I got lost. I can’t find the bathing room.”

“It’s down that way.” She pointed at a tunnel going off to the left. “I better hurry, I don’t want him to get mad.”

Robbie quickly grabbed her hand and held it tightly. They locked eyes and she gave a little squeeze back. Then she hurried back down the way Robbie had come, and the darkness closed in behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Balancing two slow-burn fics at the same time is more time-consuming than I thought it would be. D:


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This](http://deweyart.tumblr.com/image/156107486481) is how I imagine Robbie's wings to look! I've been meaning to link this for ages but I kept forgetting.

Robbie staggered into the bathing room, gratefully sinking into the water. It stung but in a cleansing way. He washed away caked blood and fresh tears, scrubbing himself until he was positive he was clean. For a long time he sat on the edge of the water with the towel wrapped around him, thinking of Glanni and wondering what he was doing now.

“Oh god…Robbie?” a soft voice said. Robbie flinched before recognizing who it was.

Aris leaned down next to him, putting a cool hand on his shoulder. “Oh Robbie, what did he do to you?” Tears welled up in her eyes as she took in his black eye, bruised cheeks, and split lip. Her gaze traveled down to his shoulders, dotted with purple, and then lowered to his back, where the bruises grew bigger and deeper.

“It’s fine, I’m f—” he choked.  A fresh torrent of tears ran down his face and he leaned his head into her shoulder, sobbing quietly. She held him soothingly, delicately wrapping her arms around his waist. When he calmed down, she wet a cloth with water from the pool and wiped away his tears.

“I can still do a few spells,” she whispered. “Some healing ones. They’re not that strong anymore, but I think it would help with the pain. Do you want me to try?”

Robbie paused and then nodded. She scooted behind him and placed her hands on his back, muttering quietly under her breath. Robbie felt a cool sensation spreading across his lower back, then up to his shoulders and down his arms and legs. He felt lighter, so much lighter, and then—

“Wow,” Aris breathed. Robbie turned around to see what she meant and gasped. He had been so relaxed under her spell that he had lost control of the glamour; his wings fluttered around him. “They’re so _pretty_ ,” Aris said in awe, then shook her head. “Quickly, cover them back up before someone sees.” Robbie curled them in again and stood up, gripping the towel tighter around his body. He felt so much better. The soreness wasn’t as bad and most of the bruises had faded. His split lip had healed except for a small scab still visible.

“Thank you,” Robbie said lamely. He didn’t know how to repay her. He opened his mouth to say more, to try to explain what this had done for him, but he didn’t know where to begin. Aris smiled, as if understanding exactly what Robbie meant.

“You’re welcome.”

*

Robbie wandered around aimlessly the rest of the day, exploring the rest of the tunnels. He found that the majority of them were either sleeping rooms or prison cells. There were a few public spaces where all the elves gathered together, like the bathing room, the dining hall, and what looked like a sports room, but the elves mostly stuck together in smaller groups.

It wasn’t until night fell that Robbie realized he was hopelessly lost. He had no idea how to get back to…wherever he was supposed to get back to. Did the elf want him to come to his room or to go back into the cell? Either way Robbie had no idea where those places were.

Suddenly the enthrallment bands started to grow warm. At first it was tolerable, but soon it became almost unbearable. Robbie started panicking as usual before remembering Tinna’s bands. Maybe the same thing was happening to him.

A green light flickered from under Robbie’s feet and zigzagged away into the tunnels, lighting a path for him. He suspected what would be waiting for him at the end of the path. Tentatively he followed it through endless tunnels until it led him right to the elf’s feet and disappeared. Robbie shook nervously, not sure if he would be in trouble or not.

“I see you got lost,” he said after a long stretch of uncomfortable silence.

“Y-yes, I wasn’t sure how to get back. I-I’m sorry,” Robbie stammered, looking at the floor.

“If that ever happens again, the bands will guide you back to me. It’s impossible to get truly lost in here.”

Robbie nodded and rubbed his eyes, still avoiding looking at the elf.

“You can sleep if you want, I still have to read some papers.”

Robbie nodded again and walked tensely to the bed. He stared the crumpled sheets, disgusted at the fact that the elf had probably tormented Tinna in them only a few hours earlier.

_Where is she now?_

“Here?” he asked, finally locking eyes with the elf.

“Unless you want to sleep on the floor,” he replied, cocking an eyebrow. Robbie silently crept in between the sheets, his back to the elf, and tried to think of nothing.

*

When he woke up, the elf was still reading at his desk. He slid out of the bed, unsure of what to do.

“There’s a bathroom behind you,” the elf said, not looking up from his papers. “After that get me some breakfast from the dining hall, I’m starving. Then you can do whatever you want. If I need you I’ll summon you.”

“Okay.”

Robbie opened the door to the bathroom, surprised to see the first actual bathroom since his abduction. There was a shower and a bathroom along with a toilet. He choked back tears, unexpectedly overwhelmed by these simple _human_ fixtures. He showered quickly, not wanting to keep the elf waiting in case he was in a bad mood. Robbie roughly towel-dried his hair and practically sprinted out the door, headed straight for the dining hall. He grabbed some of everything, not really sure what the elf liked, and brought it back to him.

“Just set it here,” the elf said, gesturing vaguely at a spot on his desk. Robbie pushed aside a few papers and placed the tray down. He was turning, ready to leave when the elf stopped him.

“You sure you want to go out like that?” he asked, slightly amused. “I know you prefer to keep them hidden.”

“Like what…?” Robbie looked down. “Oh no.” His wings had unfurled again without him knowing. “I don’t know why this is happening…”

“The magic to keep you subdued is stronger in here. Don’t worry, you should be fine outside of these rooms.” Sure enough, when Robbie left the bedroom he was in control again. He tested the strength of the glamour, feeling confident that it would not fail him outside.

He made his way back to the dining hall, grabbed a bread roll and walked over his usual corner.

Today only Aris and Viktor were there. Viktor was eating a peach— _how does he always have an appetite?—_ while Aris nervously tapped a rhythm with her fingers on the tabletop.

“Where are the others?” Robbie asked. They shrugged.

“Probably with the elves.”

“Did you just come from the bathing pool?” Aris asked, eyeing Robbie’s wet hair. “I was just there, I didn’t see you. After yesterday, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Robbie, touched at her consideration, shook his head. “I showered inside _his_ room.”

Both of them gasped.

“ _What?_ ” Viktor sputtered, dropping the peach. “You’re staying in his _room_?”

“Yea, he moved me in there maybe…three days ago?” Robbie guessed. “Don’t you guys stay in their rooms too?”

Viktor shook his head. “I’m still down in the cell tunnel.”

“I only go up there when he wants…when he…” Aris trailed off, wringing her hands. “But I’ve never used his _bathroom_. What was it like?”

“It looked…normal. Like a normal person’s bathroom. A shower, sink, everything.” Robbie ran his hand through his hair. “It made me miss home.”

Viktor nodded understandingly but Aris looked confused.

“Home? Courts don’t have bathrooms like that.”

“You’ve never lived outside of a Court?” Viktor asked, looking surprised. Aris shook her head.

“Then how were you taken?” Robbie asked.

“One day I just kind of…woke up here, in a cell. I think it’s been…almost two months? Maybe closer to one and a half. I’m…not sure. I’ve been trying to remember but the magic here interferes.”

“How could Dark Elves break into a Court? To catch a lone Fae is one thing, but to snatch them from a Court is something else entirely.”

“I don’t know,” she said miserably. “But the Queen is my mother, and I’m sure that has something to do with it.”

Robbie stared down at his half-eaten bread. Each day he felt more and more tired but still he couldn’t bring himself to eat. Was that also the magic of this place? Was he cursed to starve himself to death? He forced himself to eat the rest of it, his stomach aching at the sudden onslaught of food.

These elves were much stronger than Robbie thought. If they were able to kidnap a Fae right from under the nose of the Queen herself, what _else_ could they achieve? Clearly they had little to no reservations when it came to dark magic. What was to stop them from killing him and the other captive Faes right now? Sure the elves valued the Faes _now_ , but if what Lara said was to be believed, then elves were fickle, temperamental creatures who could change their minds faster than Robbie could escape. His perceived safety was nothing more than a lie.

_I am going to die down here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story will pick up soon I promise. I just love one-on-one character interactions


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is more exciting, I think! I love Viktor and Robbie interactions so this chapter is mostly that. Hope you like it!

“Robbie? Robbie!” someone called. Robbie blankly looked up, not registering that Viktor was waving at him until he called his name three more times.

“Are you alright?” Aris asked.

“Do you guys have an escape plan?” he asked desperately. “How do we _leave_ this place? I’m not sure how much more of…this…I can take.” He started shivering.

“You’re stronger than you think,” Viktor said firmly. “I was a mess before I met Aris and the others. I thought I was alone, I had never been more miserable in my life. This group is the only thing keeping me going right now. Robbie, if you give up hope, _you will die_. I know it seems hopeless right now, but if you give up the idea that one day you will be free then I guarantee it will be worse.”

“How? How is giving in worse? Maybe if I give in then I’ll be able to find some peace…”

Aris and Viktor exchanged a worried glance.

“Robbie,” Aris started softly. “This isn’t you, it’s the magic of this place that's making you think this way. It’s what the elves want you to think. If you gave in, it would make their lives so much easier. It’s what they _want._ But you _can’t_ give in, you must keep fighting.”

“I’m forgetting myself!” he cried. “I’m _forgetting_ who I _am_! And I’ve been here the least amount of time! Why are you guys so…so _normal_ while I’m over here losing my mind! I don’t—”

“Robbie,” Viktor said. “None of us is normal. But we have to do the best we _can_. If you don’t want to live for yourself, then live for us. We _need_ you.”

Robbie put his head down on the table and started sobbing, loud heart-wrenching sobs made Aris’ heart ache.

“It’ll be ok,” she reassured, placing a hand on his.

“How can you possibly know that?”

“Because believing in the alternative is worse.”

Robbie opened his mouth to say something but just then his bands started heating up and the familiar green light appeared at his feet. His face twisted in anguish at the realization of what was about to come.

“Robbie look at me,” Viktor urged, sensing how close Robbie was to breaking. “You know what my elf likes to do, right?” Robbie shook his head. “He likes to rent me out to his friends.” Robbie started to apologize but Viktor hushed him. “No, shut up. When you’re in there and he’s doing whatever he’s doing, I want you to think of me and know that _you are not alone in this._ No matter what he does, we’re still here for you.”

Robbie’s bands grew insistently hotter; he winced in pain. Viktor noticed.

“Go, before he gets mad,” he said.

Robbie stood up and followed the path that led deeper into hell.

*

When he got to the bedroom the elf was still at his desk. Had he even moved in the last few hours? Robbie suddenly wondered what time it was, missing the clock he had at home. In the underground territories the elves didn’t use clocks but other vague descriptions of time that Robbie still hadn’t picked up on. Right now, all Robbie knew was that it was still relatively early in the day.

“Hello, little bird,” the elf muttered. “How was your day?”

Robbie stared at the floor. “It was okay,” he whispered.

The elf got up and sauntered over to where he stood, running one hand down Robbie’s cheek. Robbie tried to disguise the grimace of disgust that crossed his face but couldn’t manage it. The elf backed him into the wall and growled low in his ear.

“Do anything interesting?” he breathed, one hand trailing down his back, raising goosebumps on Robbie’s arms. His wings unfurled against his will again, and the elf grunted in approval.

“N-no.”

“Not very talkative today, are we? Ah, that’s ok. It’s not your pretty little mouth that I want right now anyway.”

*

Robbie sat in the bathing room, fully clothed, the water up to his ears. He rested his chin on his knees, watching his wings float by him on the surface of the water. Normally he was very careful about hiding them, but after the elf touched them Robbie wanted to scour them clean. Every time he heard footsteps he would glamour them up again, but so far no one had come inside.

He dipped his head under the water, savoring the stillness. He opened his eyes and despite the water’s clearness could not see to the bottom.

_I wonder how deep this goes_.

Robbie felt someone shaking his shoulder and pulled his head back up, panic shooting through him before he saw who it was.

“Are you crazy?” Viktor hissed, grabbing the end of Robbie’s wing and shaking it in his face. “Put these away!”

“Why? It’s not like they don’t know we have them.”

“Seeing them versus suspecting that they’re there are two completely different concepts. If you won’t do it, I will.”

“Fine,” Robbie said glumly. He hid them behind a glamour. “Satisfied?”

“You were gone for a couple hours. We were worried…” Viktor said, slipping his legs into the water next to Robbie.

“You shouldn’t be. I’m fine.”

Viktor reached out to trace the bruises on Robbie’s neck, but dropped his hand when Robbie flinched. “Are these new?”

“Probably. I lost track of all of them.”

They sat in silence for a while.

“How often does your elf…you know…” Robbie asked, deliberately avoiding eye contact.

“It used to be every few days, in the very beginning. Now it’s once a week, sometimes less, and even then it’s usually his friends and not him.” Viktor paused. “I think he might be losing interest.”

Robbie laughed humorlessly. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“I thought so…but now I’m afraid he’s going to kill me.”

Robbie turned to face him. Although he had only known them a short time, he had gotten used to seeing their group in the same corner of the dining hall every day. It had given him some sort of structure, some sort of purpose. To have that stability threatened…well Robbie didn’t think his heart could take it.

“No, I won’t let him do that,” Robbie snarled. A smile tugged on the corner of Viktor’s lips and he playfully shoved Robbie.

“Oh yea? What are you going to do, fan him to death with your wings?” The smile slowly left his face. “Can you show me yours again?”

Robbie listened for footsteps and then pulled himself out of the water to sit face to face with Viktor. He let the glamour fall, watching Viktor’s reaction.

A gentle awe filled his face as he watched the wings flutter around Robbie before settling to the ground. They were too _pretty_ to be on a floor as dirty as that. Viktor pulled them into his lap, tracing his finger over the colors. They were deceivingly heavy and strong, and he sensed a lot of power—subdued, but still there, lying in wait—rising from them.

Something else crossed his face too, Robbie saw, something like envy and sadness. That disappeared quickly though, replaced with respect. When Viktor let go, Robbie tucked them safely under a glamour.

“Can I see yours too?” Robbie asked tentatively. So far he hadn’t seen any of the others’ wings, but then again he hadn’t seen much of them recently.

That sadness returned to Viktor’s face. “I don’t have them anymore.”

“Wh—oh. Oh, I’m so sorry Viktor.”

“Yea.” He sighed. “This isn’t my first time being around Dark Elves. That’s another thing…every day I’m terrified that the elves will find out.”

“You mean—you mean they don’t _know_?” Robbie was dumbfounded. His elf had seen through his own glamour immediately. How had Viktor been hiding such a crucial thing for over a month now? 

Viktor smirked slightly. “Glamours have always been my strong suit. It’s a lot harder in here with all the spells in the walls, but with enough focus I can keep it up. If I eat a lot it makes it easier.”

“So that’s why you’re always eating,” Robbie snorted before a horrified expression replaced the grin. “Oh no, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—”

Viktor threw his head back and laughed, the first time Robbie had seen him genuinely do so. “No, it’s ok. That’s true, I _am_ always eating. It gives me more energy to feed into the glamour.” Viktor eyed Robbie’s thin frame. “You should eat more too, you’re a lot thinner than you were.”

“I know…maybe that’s why I’m having more trouble with my own glamour.”

Another silence fell between them and they sat there, legs drawn up and chins on knees, until the glow of Viktor’s bands forced him away.


	6. Chapter 6

Night had fallen; at least that’s what Robbie assumed from the lack of light coming in through the elf’s windows, which he suspected were enchanted to show the sun’s movements throughout the day.

Robbie sat huddled up on the bed, watching the elf through the corner of his eyes.

After the assault that morning, the elf had gone back to his desk. What he was studying so intently all day Robbie didn’t know, but it felt like something important. He suspected that the elf was someone high-ranking, but he couldn’t know for sure.

The elf pushed his long black hair out of his face, frowning. He looked up and saw Robbie staring. Robbie quickly averted his eyes but not before he saw the elf smile.

“Like something you see, little bird?”

“N-no, just looking,” Robbie murmured, drawing his knees up tighter to his chest.

“You should eat something, you’re getting too thin,” the elf said, motioning to a bowl of fruit by the bed. Robbie internally gagged at the thought of eating more fruit, and longingly thought of the cakes back home.

“No, thank you.”

The elf’s smile disappeared. “That wasn’t a request.”

Before the situation could escalate Robbie pulled a bunch of grapes from the bowl and slowly ate them. Satisfied, the elf redirected his gaze to the book in front of him.

Robbie had been practicing his magic during his downtime. So far, he had been able to keep his wings glamoured even while in the elf’s room, but it took an immense amount of energy and left him drained and weak.

He stared at the frayed grey threads poking through the hem of his pants. He pulled one absently, wondering what Aris and Viktor were doing. He had seen Lara walking through one of the tunnels in a hurry, but hadn’t heard from Tinna in a while. He wondered if she was still in the cell block or if the elf had moved her somewhere else too.

**_BANG!_ **

Robbie’s head snapped up, startled at the sudden noise. The elf stood up from his desk.

“What the—” he muttered.

The door to the room burst open, and in the doorway stood an elf gasping for breath.

“Jafet? What—?”

Jafet began talking in rapid Elvish. Robbie heard more crashes and shouts coming from the tunnels and started panicking. He had one foot on the ground, ready to run, when the two finished speaking. The black-haired elf turned to Robbie.

“You, stay here!” he barked. The look in his eyes left no room for debate. He said a few more words to Jafet before running out the room. Jafet locked the door behind him. A blue rope of magic emerged from his hands and began tracing the outline of the door.

“What’s going on?” Robbie asked, his voice shaky. Jafet growled.

“Do not speak out of turn!”

More shouts, this time louder. It sounded like whatever was happening was getting closer to the room.

_Are the others ok?_

“What’s going on?” Robbie demanded again, fearful for the safety of his friends. Jafet threw out a hand from across the room and Robbie grabbed his throat in shock.

He couldn’t speak.

Robbie desperately tried to say something, anything, but not a single sound came out.

Seemingly satisfied, Jafet returned his attention to the door.

For a few seconds nothing happened and Robbie thought it was all over. Then a green glow started overtaking Robbie’s enthrallment bands.

White-hot pain shot through Robbie’s arms, growing worse by the second. His whole body was on _fire_. Robbie opened his mouth to scream but couldn’t make a sound. When the green glow from the bands met Robbie’s skin, it faded to a bright purple glow, the color spreading up his arms to his shoulders down to his torso down to his legs. Everything he looked at was tinged with purple.

Robbie looked at Jafet with pure terror but the elf had no idea what was happening to Robbie; his focus was still on the door. Another wave of pain shot through him and he arched on the bed, clawing at his skin. He wasn’t sure how much more of the pain he could _take_ , he felt his body giving out on him…

_Make it stop make it stop make it stop MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!_

Then, the pain was gone. Robbie slumped to the bed, feeling absolutely _exhausted._ Every single bit of energy he had was zapped from his body. His wings erupted from his back, the tips falling off the edges of the bed.

Robbie lay there, still covered in that purple glow but at least the pain was gone.

After some time, the sounds of chaos died down and Jafet retracted the magical lock from the door. Immediately the black-haired elf staggered in, looking frazzled and shaken. He talked with Jafet hurriedly and then sent the shorter elf away. Robbie heard him walking towards him but was too tired to even flinch, all he wanted was to be left _alone_.

_So…tired…_

The elf came into Robbie’s line of sight and something like concern briefly flitted across his face.

“I was going to warn you before I tried that for the first time, but I was pressed for time,” the elf explained, still slightly out of breath.

Robbie just lay there, staring at the ceiling. He didn’t care about _anything_ the elf had to say, didn’t care for the concern or the explanations or the touches.

_Just leave me alone!_

“I borrowed some of your magic. It has a purple aura which is why you’re glowing purple now. That should fade in a couple minutes.”

Robbie said nothing…not that he could anyway, but even if he wasn’t cursed into silence he still wouldn’t have responded. The elf stared at him for a few more seconds before walking around to the other side of the bed. Carefully he lifted Robbie’s wing and lay down on the bed. His wing fell back on top of the elf like a blanket but Robbie didn’t have the energy to pull it off.

_Please just let me die here._

Robbie _wanted_ to be strong, he _wanted_ to fight, but he was so _tired._ He was sick of the monotony, the fear, the abuse, the pain, the _loathing_ directed at him by other elves.

The purple started to dissipate until only the bands’ green glow illuminated the room, but Robbie fell asleep before those faded too.

*

He woke up in the same position he had fallen asleep. The elf was still there, still underneath his wing, black hair fanned out across the pillow. Tentatively Robbie tried to wrap them into himself but aching pains shot through his body. His bruises still hadn’t healed from the last time and yesterday’s episode seemed to have reversed any healing that had taken place. Dark spots once again dotted his arms and legs, and Robbie could feel the rest on his ribs and back.

He stayed on his back and waited for the elf to wake up. After a few minutes the elf stirred. He struggled getting up a bit, not seeming to realize that he was pinned beneath the heavy wing.

_Finally!_ Robbie thought when the elf got out of bed. He tried again to tuck his wings into his back but his body just wasn’t having it. _Shit. How long do I have to keep them out?_ Robbie definitely felt better when his wings were safely tucked away…having them out like this made him uneasy…

“Are you awake?” the elf asked.

Silence.

“I expect an answer, little bird.” His tone was aggravated.

Silence.

“Answer me!” the elf yelled.

Robbie flinched at the sound and closed his eyes against the blows, his arms shielding his face. Most of the punches bounced off the enthrallment bands but a few of them landed straight on his nose. Robbie sat up, pinching it to stem the blood flow. Every muscle in his body protested against the sudden movement but he had no choice; he was choking on the blood.

_Why am I bleeding so much?_

The elf grabbed Robbie by the wrists and yanked him off the bed. He crumpled to a heap at the elf’s feet, tears flowing down his face but unable to make a sound. He looked pleadingly up at the elf, trying to tell him without words that he _couldn’t answer_ , he couldn’t say anything because of that other stupid elf, this wasn’t his fault…

The elf raised his foot, ready to kick, but stopped before he made contact. Robbie curled on the floor, tasting blood, tasting tears, tasting fear.

The elf growled in frustration and paced around the room.

“I have been _far_ too lenient with you, little bird. Do you remember what I said I would do if you disobeyed me again?”

Robbie frantically shook his head, opening and closing his mouth to show him, wanting to show him, trying to show him.

The elf snapped his fingers and suddenly Robbie was alone.

The grey stone walls of the cell surrounded him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter as I struggle with classes. *crying emoji*

Days—he didn’t know how many—passed before the elf visited him again.

Robbie was a mess. There was dried blood caked on his face, in his hair, on his arms. He sat in the corner of the cell staring off into space, holding his wings around him like a blanket.

Robbie hadn’t realized that the elf was talking until he felt an angry slap on his cheek. Looking up he saw the elf’s livid expression.

“Have you learned nothing from being in here? Are you that stubborn or that stupid?”

Robbie slipped his gaze away, looking back at the wall across him. He tuned out anything else the elf had to say, beyond caring.

“Do I have to threaten these, little bird?” the elf hissed, grabbing one of Robbie’s wings tightly in his fist. Robbie’s face contorted in pain and he tried to yell out, his hands scratching the elf’s fist, begging him to let go with his eyes.

The elf stared at Robbie for a moment before understanding dawned on his face. He opened his fist.

“You can’t speak?”

Robbie glumly shook his head, holding the bruised wing close.

Was that guilt that darted across the elf’s face?

He snapped his fingers and warmth spread over Robbie’s throat.

“I—oh,” he croaked, rubbing his neck.

“Better?” the elf asked. Robbie nodded.

The elf led him down the familiar path back to his room, but this time steered Robbie directly into the bathroom. He sat him down on the corner of the bathtub and placed his hands on the sides of Robbie’s face. A gentle energy hummed into Robbie and concentrated around the bruised and broken parts of his body. When the elf withdrew his hands, Robbie felt a million pounds lighter. He stretched his arms experimentally; he was a little sore but all of the pain was gone. His hands went up to his nose—it was no longer broken.

“I’m sorry, little bird,” the elf said. Robbie’s head jerked up to look at him.

_Is he seriously apologizing to me?_

“I try not to be unnecessarily cruel.”

An awkward silence fell between them. “You should take a shower,” the elf said before leaving the bathroom.

Robbie sat there for a few minutes, trying to make sense of this entire situation. After everything the elf had don, he was apologizing for locking him in the cell…

Nothing made sense anymore.

_I hate him._

Robbie turned on the shower, thinking of home and flying and Glanni and his old life, fighting back tears.

*

“Robbie, where have you been?” Viktor demanded.

Robbie told them about everything—the fight, Jafet’s spell, being locked away.

When he finished he looked around the table. “Where’s Tinna?”

A sad silence fell across the table, and Robbie’s instincts went on high alert.

“She died eight days ago,” Lara whispered.

“Wh— _what_? How? _Why_?”

“The elf borrowed some of her magic during the fight…but he hadn’t accounted f-for how weak she was…he didn’t stop in t-time…”

Robbie looked at his bands, quietly glittering green.

Maybe if he had eaten more, maybe if he hadn’t starved himself, maybe if he’d been _stronger_ , then maybe Tinna could have lived.

“Robbie.”

He didn’t know who called him and he didn’t care. He blamed himself for her death. She shouldn’t have died, if he hadn’t been so _weak_ then he could have given the elf enough energy for the both of them and she could have lived, she could have _survived,_ but instead she was dead. Because of him, she was dead.

“Robbie.”

The tears he kept biting back finally spilled over and he furiously wiped them away.

_“Robbie.”_

This time he looked. Aris stood up and cocked her head.

“Come on.”

He stood too and followed her. She led him through an unfamiliar winding route.

“Where are we going?”

“Someplace we can talk.”

They walked a little more until Robbie heard the roar of water. He looked questioningly at Aris who just led him further down the tunnel.

They arrived in a small room. At the center was a waterfall so powerful that Robbie was sure one wrong step would wash him away forever.

“Come on,” Aris motioned, leading Robbie behind the waterfall. There was a small cave, big enough for around four people. “Sit down.”

He crawled inside and she followed. Aris pressed her hands against Robbie’s and concentrated, and before he could ask what she was doing, he saw a clear bubble close around them.

A Privacy Circle.

“You can still do this?” he asked, gently touching the walls of the Circle in awe. This was advanced magic, how could she still have the power to do this?

“It’s hard but if I focus enough I can do it. They don’t usually last that long though, which is why I led us here. The water will hide whatever we say.”

Robbie looked around the cave. The ground by his feet had carvings in it. When he ran his fingers over them, Aris sighed.

“I tried to keep track of how long I’d been here, but it didn’t work. This place messes with my head. I _hate_ it here. Faes don’t _belong_ here.”

“No,” Robbie agreed. “We don’t.”

“I think Tinna is better off dead,” she whispered.

“What? How can you—”

“Think about it, Robbie!” she said angrily. Aris tried to be strong enough for everyone else so much that Robbie never really saw her show emotion. He wondered how much she kept hidden for their benefit and felt guilty that he didn’t pay enough attention. “What’s going to happen to us? Realistically speaking? We can talk about leaving all we _want_ but we have no plan, no weapons, no allies, and no magic.”

“But if we give up hope—”

“No we shouldn’t give up hope, of course not. But Robbie, Tinna had given up a long time ago. She ate even less than you eat, she let the elf do whatever he wanted, she never put up a fight. She had accepted her death already. When he started taking her magic, she had enough power left to save some for herself but she let it go. I felt it, I felt that energy leave her, I t-tried, I _tried_ to stop her but she—she…”

She broke down and Robbie pulled her into a hug.

“She was my _sister_ ,” Aris cried, her voice muffled by Robbie’s shoulder. He stiffened in shock but didn’t say anything. She wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him tightly. The Circle had long since faded away but true to her word, the waterfall masked everything.

*

When Aris had calmed down slightly, she washed her face in the waterfall and let out a shaky breath.

“I was hiding that from everyone…I knew if the elves found out we were sisters then it would be worse for us, and I knew how close she was to breaking…”

“You let yourself be captured so you could find her,” Robbie guessed. She nodded.

“One night I crept out of the castle and went into the woods. My mother really is the Queen—I wasn’t lying about that—and I’m sure the black-haired elf only took Tinna to weaken my mother. I thought I could find her and bring her home…I didn’t know where they had taken her, only that I couldn’t feel her magic anymore…”

She paused, trying to control her breath.

“I tried asking the trees, but they didn’t know either. All they could tell me was that a Dark Elf had taken her. On the way back to the house I felt one in the area. Thinking it could be the one who took my sister, I found him and let him capture me. When we got here I felt her magic, I knew she was here. I told her to pretend that we didn’t know each other…I wanted her to be safe…my little sister…oh Tinna…” Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. “I was trying to be s-strong for her, to s-show her that we will make it o-out of here.”

Robbie didn’t know what to say, how to help her, so he just held her.

“I loved her, Robbie,” she keened. “I miss her so much. Every day I think I can still feel her magic, I _know_ it’s all in my head but it feels so real.”

“I know, Aris, I know,” Robbie soothed, rocking her slightly. “It’s like you said; she made her choice and wherever she is now is better than this hell.”

“You’re the only one I could tell, you’re the only one who could understand…you two had a bond, I know it. The bands _link_ people, you could feel her magic too, even if you didn’t know.”

“I should have been strong enough Aris. I-I’m sorry,” he said bitterly, trying to fight back tears for Aris’ sake. She squeezed him tighter.

“No, it’s not your fault. You had no idea what was happening, there’s no way you could have known.”

They held each other there in that cave for a long time. The elves didn’t summon them that night so they stayed wrapped in each other’s arms, both looking for a comfort that the other tried but could not give.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay okay so in chapter 9 stuff really picks up. This fic ended up being more slow-burn than I thought but it's getting there lol. Ch 8 is a buildup and ch 9 the real fun stuff starts.


	8. Chapter 8

Viktor, Aris, and Robbie were sitting at their usual dining hall table when Lara urgently joined them.

“An uprising is coming.”

The atmosphere around the table immediately chilled.

“ _What_?” Viktor hissed. “How do you know?”

“I’ve been eavesdropping on the elves since I got here. They think the Subduing magic in the walls is so good that they don’t have any decent wards up. It was easy to break though.”

“How can you still—” Robbie shut his mouth. It was clear that Lara was an extremely powerful Fae but that wasn’t important right now. “When?”

“My Elvish isn’t that good and I couldn’t get a good translation spell going, ironically.” She paused, frustrated. “I just know it’s soon. Within the next couple weeks.”

“So what does that mean?” Robbie asked. “For us?” Lara gritted her teeth.

“It means that if we ever want to get the hell out of here, that uprising will be our best shot.”

*

_It’s almost over, you’ll be out of here soon. Just don’t say anything, you’ll make it worse._

The elf rolled off of him and onto his back. Robbie kept his eyes on the ceiling, knowing that if he looked at the elf then something was going to come out of his mouth and he’d ruin the delicate calm he had built over the course of the last week. For the last seven days he had been quiet, saying only the barest minimum to the elf. Five of those seven days the elf had brought Robbie into his bed. Something was definitely going on.

Lately the elf had grown increasingly obsessed with Robbie’s wings, and that made him nervous. For hours the elf would trace over the veins and colors with his hands, muttering about power and status under his breath.

_He must be stressed because of the fights._

The past week, three fights had broken out, and each time the elf had borrowed magic from Robbie. Because of that he’d been bedridden for most of the week, recovering. He felt horribly sick and tired, and he hated the feeling of being so subdued. But between the assaults, the magic-stealing, and the spells in the walls, Robbie had zero energy.

The other Faes had told him that their elves hadn’t done that to them; it made Robbie wonder why it was only happening to him. The elf’s comments about power echoed in his mind.

“As much as I love how obedient you’ve been, I miss your fiery tongue. Say something, little bird,” the elf said, turning over and pulling Robbie’s wing around himself. Robbie’s stomach churned; he wanted to say a million things and he also just wanted to give up.

_I’m not your bird you disgusting piece of—_

Robbie stopped that train of thought right there, afraid he would say it out loud.

“What do you want me to say?” he asked instead, his voice dull.

The elf stroked the enthrallment bands on Robbie’s arms.

“You look beautiful in these, you know,” he sighed, tracing up the arm to the man’s cheek. Robbie turned his face away in disgust. “When I am King, I’m going to keep you chained to this bed, little bird. I am _never_ going to let you hide those wings from me again.

Robbie squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could be anywhere but there, wishing he could somehow send Glanni a message asking for help. His heart ached at the elf’s words, afraid and sad and lonely.

“Pining for home?” the elf whispered in Robbie’s ear. “I could show you them. I could show you your family.”

Robbie whipped his head around, coming nose to nose with the elf. “What? How?”

“I’m an elf. I can do that,” he chuckled.

“Why would you?” Robbie sneered. Nothing came free, Robbie knew that. The elf wanted something.

“For peace of mind,” the elf drawled.

“Whose peace of mind? Yours, knowing that you can keep torturing me?”

“No, foolish bird,  _yours_. So that you know that they are safe.”

“And what do you care about my peace of mind?”

“I’m getting sick of this mopeyness,” the elf said, gesturing at Robbie’s prone body. “Maybe if you see your home you’ll get a little more fire back.” He grinned sadistically and Robbie’s blood ran cold.

_He is out of his mind_.

He wanted to build Robbie back up so that he could break him again.

And yet…

Robbie knew something that the elf didn’t know he knew. He knew about the uprisings. And Robbie so badly wanted to see Glanni. He could stay strong…he could do that much. At least until the uprisings when he could finally be free.

Assuming, of course, that he _could_ escape.

Robbie shook his head to clear it. _No negative thoughts allowed._

“Fine. Show me my brother.”

The elf grinned and sat up in the bed, placing his hands on Robbie’s head. He closed his eyes and Robbie felt warmth tricking down his skull, almost as if an egg had been cracked over his head.

“Look,” the elf said.

Robbie opened his eyes and saw a small patch of forest floating in the middle of the room. No, not floating…

It was almost as if there was window in front of him that showed him a glimpse of another world, but when Robbie reached out to touch it, his fingers passed through as if the scene was nothing more than smoke. The scene ripped around his fingers like water.

“What is this?” he demanded.

“It’s a Projection. I’m showing you where your brother is.”

Robbie redirected his attention back to the forest scene. Then he saw a figure in a black catsuit creeping through the trees, searching for something.

No, not something. Some _one_.

“Glanni,” Robbie whispered sadly.

Glanni wandered the forest, studying each tree he passed. He crouched down near the roots and closed his eyes for a moment, shook his head, then continued the process with the next tree. His face was anguished, as if he had done this a thousand times already.

_Glanni, I’m right here!_

But he knew it was useless.

The elf made a movement with his hands and smoke started to swirl around the edges of the Projection until nothing was left but the faint smell of burning wood.

Robbie almost cried out in protest, wanting just a few more stolen moments of his brother, but stopped himself.

_Stay in control. You’re almost there._

_*_

“So if something does happen soon, what’s the plan?” Viktor asked. “Because we will probably all be separated and locked up.

“Lie low, that’s the first step,” Aris ordered. “Don’t do anything that will get you locked up for longer than necessary. Don’t talk back, don’t start fights. We need to stay as free as we can.”

“Well Robbie is the only one that is comparatively free,” Lara said. She didn’t say it in an accusatory way but Robbie still felt heat creep up into his cheeks.

“Then it’s even more crucial that you lay low, Robbie,” Aris said, apologies in her eyes. She knew how hard it was for him, how hard it was for all of them, but she was silently begging him to behave. Robbie gave a small nod, determined not to let them down.

_This is bigger than just me. I have to try._

“Even if we aren’t in a cell somewhere, how would we escape? There are a thousand elves here that could kill us in three seconds or less.” It was clear that Viktor was not optimistic about their situation.

“We could try to overpower our elves…” Robbie said, then trailed off. Even if they could overpower their captors, they couldn’t overpower the rest of the territory. Viktor was right about that, there were only four of them. Robbie’s heart ached again at Tinna’s absence.

“Ok, well if can’t fight our way out then we have to wait for an opportunity to run,” Lara volunteered. “We wait for an opening and then make a run for it.”

“But what if we are stuck in a cell?” Viktor repeated. “We can’t use magic to get out and usually all of us get summoned at night. We’re almost never all together.”

“We’re together now,” Aris pointed out.

“Yes but the uprising isn’t happening _right now_. What if it happens when we are all apart? How are we going to help each other?”

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air as they slowly started to realize that they were on their own. It would be almost impossible to work together to escape.

“What if we had a meet-up spot?” Robbie suggested.

“And then what? We wait who knows how long for everyone to make it there? Time is too precious for that,” Viktor said anxiously, gnawing on a bone from his tray.

They all stared at each other awkwardly until Robbie couldn’t take it anymore and broke the silence.

“So _what_?? It’s every man for himself?”

“I don’t want that!” Aris cried. “But how else can it be?”

“No, there is always a way,” Robbie insisted. He refused to believe that they were on their own, not after everything they had been through.

“Then please _find_ one Robbie. Because right now I really don’t know what to do,” Aris said, throwing up her hands in defeat.

“What if we use magic? I know the walls make us weak, but I’ve seen what you all can do. There’s _power_ here, even if it is subdued, and if we really focus I think we can summon enough magic to help us.”

“What kind of magic?”

Robbie grinned wryly. “ _Glamours_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out! My classes are kicking my butt. So much homework. *shudders*


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter because it's a set up.

Robbie awoke to the screams.

The tunnels were filled with chaos. Something loud shattered right outside the door and Robbie flinched. The elf bolted upright in bed and looked around confusedly before realizing what was happening. His face hardened and he started grabbing his armor.

“Stay here. Jafet will be here soon to lock the door.

No, Robbie couldn’t bear to see Jafet again. Not after last time

“No,” he said before he could stop himself. Jafet wasn’t the only problem. Robbie didn’t want to be stuck inside this room when the fighting broke out; he had to be out in the tunnels so he could find the other Faes.

“Excuse me?” the elf said, narrowing his eyes.

Robbie decided to play the guilt card as far as he could.

“After last time…I’m scared to be in the same room as him…please, could I just be out there with you…”

Robbie bit his lip, afraid that he was laying it on too thick, but the elf’s face softened. He strode across the room to the bed where Robbie sat up, putting his hand on Robbie’s cheek. Robbie leaned his head into the elf’s hand, disgusted at himself for what he was doing but knowing it was necessary to sway the elf’s decision. He raised his eyes to look into the elf’s black ones, praying that the elf wouldn’t see through his pathetic attempt at acting.

“Please…I haven’t gotten into trouble any of the other times you’ve let me out…I’ll behave, I promise.”

“Fine,” the elf murmured softly. “Just make sure you stay hidden in the side tunnels. And stay close to the room.” Robbie nodded and the elf finished putting on his armor.

The chaos outside helped; the elf didn’t have too much time to think and that was probably the only reason he agreed to something so ridiculous.

“Ok, let’s go.” The elf let Robbie out of the room first and then locked the door with magic behind himself.

“Stay hidden!” he ordered again before taking off in the direction of the fighting.

Robbie quickly went through the plan he and the other Faes had made.

“ _Step one_ ,” he remembered Aris saying. “ _Lay low.”_ That meant finding new clothes to hide his enthrallment bands.

Robbie ran through the tunnel, looking for an open door. He found one and ducked inside, closing it behind him. His eyes searched the room and located a long sleeve shirt and pants. He changed hastily, noting that these clothes looked better than the ragged gray slave clothes he had been forced to wear. Already he would attract less attention.

He pulled the sleeves down over his wrists and made sure his stayed were covered.

“ _Step two_.” This time it was Viktor echoing in his mind. “ _Set up the glamour_.”

Robbie hid behind the bed and closed his eyes, trying to block out the sounds of war around him.

“I’ll kill you for—!”

Suddenly the door to the room burst open and two elves fell inside. Robbie heard the sound of battle magic destroying the furniture and wrapped himself tighter into a ball, hoping he wouldn’t be seen.

_Please leave please leave please leave._

The sounds of fighting subsided and Robbie assumed they finally left. Carefully he peeked over the edge of the bed and breathed with a sigh of relief that they had gone.

“Right, lock the door,” he muttered to himself.

He attempted a Locking spell on the door, praying silently that his weakened Fae magic would be enough to withstand Dark Elf magic.

When the border of the door was glowing purple, he took a step back and refocused his magic inward. After a few minutes Robbie felt a glamour starting to form around his body. He went into the bathroom in search of a mirror to see if the spell had worked.

Robbie stood in front of the small mirror and took in his appearance. After months of not seeing his reflection, he knew he looked different but was not prepared for this.

His face was gaunt and sickly-looking; there were dark shadows under his eyes. His skin was pale and his hair was long and ragged. Scars were etched into his cheeks and neck. Some of the old cuts had healed badly, leaving rough, uneven skin.

Over his real features he saw the overlay of the glamour—glittering purple eyes, pointed ears, healthy hair. He managed an angry scowl and hoped he would fit in. He took a deep breath and strayed from the plan.

“Step three,” he said. “ _Find the others_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Revolution has begun.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay! This semester is a lot harder than I was expecting so I've literally been studying from the time I get home to past midnight almost every day. Ahhh when is spring break? D:
> 
> Hope you guys like the chapter!

Robbie cautiously stepped out into the hallway.

Everything was chaos. He could see elves—all of them big and burly—fighting, scratching, biting, clawing. Magic he had never seen hit the walls around him. He quickly ducked to avoid a stream of orange spells coming right at him.

_Be careful!_ he warned himself. He was no use to the other Faes dead.

Robbie made his way down the hall, keeping an eye out for the others.

*

As he walked, smaller elves avoided him, keeping their eyes down and hurrying past him. Some elves, like the black-haired one, were fairly tall but for the most part Robbie was taller than them.

Eventually Robbie caught on and started using this to his advantage. He drew himself up to his full height, towering a full head over the elves.

Robbie ran to the dining hall, checking their usual table out of necessity but not expecting to see any of them there. To his surprise, he saw Aris huddled underneath the stone table. The remnants of a glamour weakly clung to her. Her lip was bleeding and her eye was bruised.

“Aris, what happened?” Robbie asked urgently, kneeling down.

“I waited for you here because I suspected you’d check this place.” She smiled wryly. “I was right.”

“Hold on, don’t move for a second,” Robbie murmured, lending her some of his own magic to strengthen her glamour. When she was concealed to his satisfaction, he gave her a hand and helped her up. “Do you know where the others might be?”

“I saw Lara on my way here. I called to her but she said she’d meet us later.”

“And Viktor is probably still inside the cell…” Robbie paused. “Did the elf do that?” he asked again, gesturing at Aris’ face.

She nodded. “He didn’t want to let me leave, but I fought him…Robbie, I…” She chewed on her lip.

“What? You what?”

Aris pulled her sleeves up to show him her enthrallment bands.

They weren’t glowing. It was as if the glittering yellow bands had been _turned off_.

They sat innocently on her arms.

“What did you do?” Robbie asked, eyes wide. Aris looked up at him slowly.

“I killed him.”

Someone crashed into the wall next to them, and Robbie jumped.

“Come on, it’s not safe here.” He grabbed her hand and they ran down to the prison tunnels.

*

“Viktor! Can you hear me?” Robbie called at each cell door. After going through two tunnels he slumped against the wall. “This is taking too long; we’re never going to find him this way.”

They avoided each other’s eyes, an awkward air hanging between them. Robbie couldn’t stop stealing glances at her arms, now hidden under the shirt she had found.

“How?” he blurted. “And why didn’t you tell me you had a plan to do something like that? This whole time you’ve seen what he does and yet you just…you kept silent? _Why_?” Robbie tried to hide the impatience and frustration from his voice but they were only thinly veiled.

“I did it for your sake,” Aris whispered sadly. “I didn’t want you attempting some half-formed plan and getting yourself into deeper shit just because I put the idea into your head.”

Robbie didn’t say anything, mulling her words over.

“I had the idea for a while but had no plan of how to actually _do_ it. I knew my magic was weaker than his so I had to come at it from a different angle."

She didn’t speak for a moment, looking thoughtfully at the tunnel wall ahead of her.

“I don’t regret it. Not at all.” She turned at Robbie pleadingly, as if needing him to reassure her that what she had done was not wrong.

“I wouldn’t either,” he shrugged. “Why should we? They’ve been keeping us like slaves. We’re _supposed_ to fight back.”

Aris sighed. “A few weeks ago I had dropped a plate. I threw away all the broken pieces…except one. When I tried to leave today, he didn’t let me, so I…cut him w-with the broken piece. Across his neck. I don’t think he was expecting…” she trailed off, her voice shaking. “When he stopped moving, the light in my bands died down too.”

Robbie stared at her partially in fear, partly in awe. Why hadn’t he thought of something as simple as that? But this changed everything. The Faes had been examining this situation completely wrong. It wasn’t magic they needed to fight the elves.

It was strength.

They continued down the tunnels in silence, brainstorming ways to find Viktor.

Aris was having a hard time holding onto her glamour; periodically Robbie had to lend her more magic and that was draining him, too. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep them both powered, and they weren’t any closer to an escape than they were an hour ago.

“Let me try something,” Aris offered. “My mother tried to teach me this before I was taken, I think I can still do it. It’s a way of sensing the surroundings through the trees. Are there any trees or plants here?”

Robbie thought to the roots he had seen in the corners of his cell.

“Follow me.”

*

Aris kneeled against the wall of Robbie’s old cell, examining the small roots poking out of the ground. She carefully grabbed them in her hand and closed her eyes.

“This way,” she said after a moment, standing up and pointing to her left. They ran, the sounds of fighting fading as they went deeper and deeper into the tunnels.

“It’s this one,” Aris pointed at a big metal door. She yanked on the handle but it was locked.

“Viktor!” she called. “Are you in here?”

“Aris?” came a muffled voice. “Is that you?”

“Yea, it’s us! Stand back, we’re going to try to open this door,” Robbie called back. He placed his hand on the rough wall, feeling the stones humming with magic.

“These spells are really old,” he said. “Between the two of us, we might be able to break it. Are you up for it?”

Aris brushed the hair from her face and nodded, her mouth set in a firm line.

They stood in front of the wall directly to the left of the door; Robbie felt the magic weakest there.

“On the count of three,” he said. “One, two, three.”

They murmured a destruction spell, their voices blending together as magic flowed from their hands to the point on the wall. After thirty seconds, the stone began to flake and crumble. Robbie snuck a glance at Aris and saw she was breathing hard.

“Almost there…don’t give up yet,” Robbie grunted, wishing he could help her but knowing he was almost out of energy himself.

Finally the stones broke away to expose a hole big enough for someone to crawl through.

Viktor clambered out of the cell, grabbing Robbie’s leg and pulling himself up.

“Thank you, thank you,” he choked, pulling them into a hug. “I—I was afraid you’d leave me when you saw I hadn’t gotten out in time.”

“Of course not,” Robbie reassured him. “I promised I would find everyone.”

Thankfully Viktor was able to create his own glamour, and when he had found some new clothes the three of them started back to the main tunnels.

The sounds of fighting grew louder.

*

“What’s the plan?” Robbie asked them.

They were hidden behind a door in the kitchen. Robbie’s heart was pumping. He was _terrified_ , but he tried to stay calm for the others’ sake. He had always hated fighting and violence; seeing the blood and bodies and chaos around him now made him want to throw up. He didn’t see how he could make it out of this alive, and dread washed over him.

He thought back to the last time he had been outside, when he was with Glanni, and he wished he had appreciated the warmth of the sun on his skin more

_If I make it out of here alive, I’m going to spend as much time outside as I can_.

“All of the exits are locked by elven magic. We need one of _them_ to open it for us,” Viktor panted, clutching his side.

“And the walls here are stronger than the one we just broke,” Aris added. “So Viktor is right, the only way to get out is to find an elf.”

“Well then we might as well just give up now because what elf is going to open the door for three Faes?”

“You forget that we don’t _look_ like Faes,” Aris grinned wickedly.

“Wait, what about Lara? We still haven’t caught up to her,” Robbie interrupted, making as if to leave their hiding space.

“We’ll find her later! Right now we have to stay hidden until we have a solid plan,” Viktor said, grabbing Robbie’s arm to stop him.

Robbie didn’t like hiding while Lara was in who knew what kind of danger, but Viktor was right; bursting out into the middle of a war with no plan was not smart.

“Do either of you have a weapon?” Robbie asked them. Aris shook her head, but Viktor pulled out a pointed, jagged rock from his pocket.

“I grabbed this from the cell. I figured anything could help.” He passed it to Robbie, who weighed it in his hands. If push came to shove, would he be able to use it?

He thought of the elf’s body over his, the bruises, the humiliation.

His hand clenched tighter around the stone.

*

“Where is the nearest exit?” Viktor asked.

They were still hiding behind the kitchen door. The dining hall was right next to the communal meeting space where most of the fighting was happening. They had decided to stay close to the chaos because it was where the closest exits were.

Aris pointed diagonally to her right. “See that little area off to the side? Through there is the doorway. It’s blocked by a stone but I’ve seen the elves unlock it with magic.”

Robbie looked through a crack in the door to where Aris was pointing. It was all the way across the meeting room.

“We have to grab one of these elves and force them to open the door for us.” Viktor nervously glanced around. Robbie could tell he was terrified too.

“Well then.” Robbie swallowed. “Let’s hope our glamours hold up.”

*

They stepped out from behind the door. Aris grabbed a beet from the food supply in the kitchen and crushed it in her hands. She spread the red juice over her shirt and clutched her stomach as if in pain. Viktor and Robbie exchanged a look.

“What are you—” Viktor began.

“Just shut up and follow me.” She started running towards the corner of the communal room.

“Please help me!” she cried, desperately grabbing a fleeing elf’s arm. He looked at her irately before he saw her hands stained red. Concern crossed his face.

“What happened?” he asked, moving closer to her. Aris briefly locked eyes with Robbie before she started crying.

_That my cue I guess._

“Someone hit me to the g-ground, I d-didn’t see who it was. Please, I can’t find my family, I’m so scared!”

Robbie snuck up behind the distracted elf and quickly grabbed him into a headlock, jabbing his rock against the shorter elf’s throat. “One wrong move and you’re dead,” he growled into the elf’s ear, sounding much braver than he felt. His knees were shaking and he was afraid he’d pass out at any second but he tried to look menacing.

_Please, just please let me live through this._

“What are you doing?” the elf shouted. He started screaming for help but in all the chaos his calls were ignored.

“Open that door for us and we’ll let you go,” Aris ordered, sending battle magic flying to her palms as a warning. The elf paled.  

“What? Who are you?” he asked, confusion and fear coloring his voice.

“Now is not the best time for questions,” Viktor snapped. “Unless you want to get killed. If you haven’t noticed, we’re standing right in the middle of all the fighting.”

The elf’s eyes darted around the room and he seemed to realize the truth of Viktor’s words.

“Fine, I-I’ll do it.”

Robbie yanked the elf towards the exit, the others following behind. So far they had gone unnoticed. Robbie prayed their good luck would continue.

The elf placed his hand on a seemingly random patch of wall, muttering a spell under his breath. A glowing outline emerged from the stone in the shape of a door. The rock within the outline melted away, and there it was.

The exit.

The Faes stared at the door, seemingly forgetting that they were holding a captive elf.

“Ok, ok, I did what you asked. Let me go!” he demanded, trying to twist out of Robbie’s grasp. Robbie tightened his arms around the elf’s neck.

“One more thing,” he said. “The big black-haired elf who has a suite in the bedroom tunnels…I know he’s someone important. What’s his name?”

The elf stilled, not fully understanding the question.

Then realization dawned on his face and his eyes flitted over to Aris, the only person in his line of sight. His gaze shifted down to her forearms, hidden by her sleeves.

Robbie noticed.

“I’ll know if you’re lying, elf,” he growled, shoving the tip of the rock into the elf’s skin. The captive flinched, raising his hands pleadingly.

“We call him _Hrafn._ He’s expected to become the next King.” The elf suddenly sneered. “And he will find you, _Fae_ , no matter how well you hide.”

Robbie’s hand twitched. He yearned to shove the rock into the elf’s throat and let him die, but something on Aris’ face stopped him. She didn’t say anything, she just watched, but her face carried a deep sadness.

Robbie pushed the elf away in disgust and grabbed the other Faes.

“Let’s go!” he shouted, pulling them through the exit.

With just a single step, they were suddenly out of Dark Elf territory.

As soon as they crossed the threshold, the door reappeared and an eerie silence closed in around them.


	11. Chapter 11

It was pitch-black. The exit had apparently led them not outside, but into another complex tunnel system. These tunnels, however, were filled with neutral magic, so they knew it was not another Dark Elf territory.

“We have to go up,” Viktor said, his palms on the walls. He tried to get a feel for their surroundings but the walls yielded no information. “Wish there were trees down here,” he muttered.

Robbie still hadn’t fully accepted that he was free, and he was sure the others hadn’t either. They were still lost, still trapped underground. It was hard to feel free when he wasn’t sure if he’d ever see daylight again.

Suddenly Robbie remembered something. Some _one_.

“Lara!” he shouted, hot guilt flooding through him. “I can’t believe we forgot to catch up to her!”

Viktor cleared his throat and started to say something, but stopped when Robbie turned around.

“Yes?” Robbie prompted when Viktor didn’t continue.

“Robbie, Lara is…she’s dead.”

“ _What_?” This time it was Aris who shouted in shock. “But I _saw_ her only a bit ago! She had said she would catch up to us!”

“The roots in my cell told me,” Viktor admitted, shifting uncomfortably under the weight of their stares. “I was keeping tabs on everyone since the fighting broke out. I wanted to make sure you were all ok. When I tried to check in on Lara…well…” he shrugged half-heartedly, eyes downcast.

“Why didn’t you _say_ anything?” Aris demanded. “How could you keep that to yourself?”

“If I told you right before we escaped it would distract you! We couldn’t afford to feel hopeless because this was our only shot at getting out!”

Aris turned angrily to Robbie, ready to keep arguing, but stopped once she saw the look on Robbie’s face. He had nothing to say. There was nothing he _could_ say because what was done was done. He wasn’t mad at Viktor because he understood what Viktor had been trying to do. Now, the only thing left to do was to keep walking.

*

They found a tunnel that slowly led uphill and decided to follow it. They had no idea how far underground they were, and the lack of trees made it impossible to find out. For hours they walked up the slight incline. Robbie’s legs burned, and he was sure the others were struggling as well. Months of poor eating and lack of exercise had taken a toll on their bodies.

“Can we take a break?” Robbie gasped after a long stretch of silence. Aris nodded and immediately plopped down to the ground, breathing hard.

“How much have we walked?” Viktor panted.

“I don’t know, maybe ten miles? I have no idea."

“I can’t believe we’re finally out of there…” Aris whispered.

Robbie stared at the rough ceiling. It looked exactly like the ceiling in his cell. He shifted uncomfortably, drawing his knees up to his chest.

“What are you guys going to do after we get to the surface?” The question had been nagging at the back of his mind. Robbie didn’t want to admit it, but he was afraid of being alone. His magic stores were almost at zero and it would take a while for them to recover. He was terrified at the prospect of fending for himself during that time. He hated feeling weak; after years of traveling he thought he would be stronger than this, he thought he would be able to pull himself together when the going got tough.

Robbie had also started to think of Viktor and Aris as his friends. After the things they had suffered through together, how could he not? But he was afraid that they didn’t consider him a friend. It seemed like such a trivial thing, worrying about friendships when their lives were at stake, but Robbie didn’t want to part ways and never hear from them again.

“I’m going back to my Court,” Viktor said firmly, not noticing Robbie’s internal crisis. “I’ve been away for too long. My family probably thinks I’m dead.”

“Me too,” Aris said. She was leaning against the wall, fanning herself with her hand. Her face still looked flushed. “I need to find my mother and—and explain everything.” Her gaze shifted to Robbie again and a knowing silence passed between them.

“What about you, Robbie?” Viktor asked.

“I was traveling with my brother so I have to find him after I get stronger. After that I don’t know. We’ll keep traveling I guess. Try to get things back to normal.”

“Traveling where?”

“Forest to forest, town to town. He ran away from home a few years ago and I went with him. We’d been living in a forest when the Elves found me. My brother—Glanni—he wasn’t there, otherwise he could have helped—” Robbie furiously brushed his hand across his eyes, rubbing away the tears threatening to fall. Viktor pat him on the back sympathetically.

“Ready to keep walking?” he asked.

Robbie nodded, grateful at the change of topic.

They continued trudging uphill.

*

Robbie lost track of the hours but knew it had been more than a day. They were exhausted, a bone-deep kind of exhaustion that didn’t go away no matter how many hours of broken sleep they managed to scrape together. With no access to food or water, Robbie had no idea how long they could keep going.

“There’s no way we can escape the Elves only to die down here,” Viktor said suddenly. “Do either of you know how to harness neutral magic? I can feel a ton of it down here.”

Robbie shook his head.

“I know how to do it,” Aris said, “but I have no energy to do it. That’s why I haven’t offered. I know I can’t do shit feeling like this.” She gestured to her dust-covered skin and tattered clothes.

“Do you _need_ energy?” Robbie asked. “Can’t you use whatever is in the air?”

“Normally yes, but after months of being Subdued by the Elves I’m not at my strongest. Maybe in a week I can, but we don’t have a week.” She sighed. “Viktor, any other ideas?”

“We need another approach. We can’t just keep walking! What if we’re a million miles underground? We’re going to die if we don’t do something soon.” Viktor rubbed his face angrily, smearing dirt across his cheeks.   
  
“What are we supposed to do?” Robbie snapped. “We haven’t eaten in days and none of us can do any meaningful magic. We’re fucked and you know it.”

None of them said anything for a while. Then Aris looked up excitedly.

“There must be other people living here!”

For a minute Robbie and Viktor just stared at her. Then understanding dawned on Viktor’s face.

“You mean other Elves? Another territory?” he asked.

“Yes! They must get supplies somehow, right? They must go to the surface eventually."

“But territories are really far apart. That’s the whole point of a territory, so that Elves aren’t always at war over land.”

“What if there’s an allied territory around here somewhere? Allied territories are known to be in close proximity of each other.”

Aris and Viktor eagerly looked at each other, wordlessly forming the beginnings of a plan.

Robbie felt stick to his stomach.

“What the fuck is wrong with you guys?” he spat. “We just spent months trying to get away from Elves, and now you want to go back to them?”

“Not go _back_ to them, just watch them to see how they get to the surface!” Aris said, looking surprised and somewhat indignant that Robbie wasn’t sharing in on the excitement. “I’d never go back to them, but they have information we need. Would you rather die or do you want to get out of here?”

“Of course I don’t want to die, but there has to be another way to—”

“There’s no other way because we’re running out of time! We can’t sit here and debate what the best course of action is, we have to act right now.”

She was right, of course she was right, but Robbie didn’t like the idea one bit.

Aris, understanding Robbie’s hesitation, softened. “Robbie,” she said gently. “I know this really sucks, but right now this is our only option.”

Robbie tried to bite back his fear.

“Okay.”


	12. Chapter 12

“They probably just teleport to the surface and this is a huge waste of time,” Robbie grumbled while Aris and Viktor ran their hands up and down the rough walls, trying to find an Elven magic signal strong enough to trace back to a territory.

“They probably _do_ teleport to the surface,” Aris said patiently, “but someone has to make sure the coast is clear before they start teleporting, which is where this manual entrance comes in.”

“Then why didn’t see one in our—in the territory we left?” Robbie argued, deliberately stalling. Aris turned and gave him a look that said _I know what you’re doing._ She went back to tracing the walls.

“We _did_ Robbie,” Viktor answered matter-of-factly.

Robbie sat cross-legged on the floor and watched them work, not offering to help. His skin itched and he felt disgusting. What he wouldn’t do for a shower right then. A long, hot shower and a soak in the tub, too. Then, before he could start feeling homesick, he turned his thoughts to Glanni.

The ever-protective older brother, Glanni had fiercely fought to keep Robbie safe. Initially, he had been unwilling to let Robbie tag along with him on his travels, but Robbie had begged and begged. Robbie didn’t want to stay locked up in the Court forever; he wanted to learn about the world.  Eventually Glanni relented and the two began planning their journey. Robbie remembered the open forests, the tall trees, the fresh, crisp air…

“Found one!” Viktor shouted, jolting Robbie out of his reverie and back to the present. Suddenly everything felt too _real_ to him, too loud, too _dangerous._ Viktor had found a signal and they were about to enter another territory and _ohmygods what if they didn’t survive this._ Panic gripped his throat and he coughed, trying to keep his voice steady.

“You guys, I—I don’t think I can do this,” he said slowly. _I’mgoingtodieifIgointhere._

“Robbie, we need you right now, you have to stay calm,” Aris said, half exasperated, half worried. Viktor knelt down beside him.

“Robbie, you were able to hold that elf hostage and force him to open the door for us. That takes guts! I _know_ you can do this.”

Robbie was not convinced, not convinced at all, but he had no choice anymore. Aris and Viktor made up their minds and Robbie couldn’t back out.

“Okay, just…don’t expect too much from me…okay?” Robbie said in a small voice. Aris pat his shoulder reassuringly.

“We’re going to do the hard parts, don’t worry.”

*

While Aris and Viktor formulated a plan Robbie stared off into space, only half listening.

“Do you have enough magic for an invisibility spell?” Aris murmured. Viktor shook his head dejectedly.

“I barely have enough for a glamour.”

“I have a little left, but not enough for anything big.” Aris pursed her lips. “Maybe we can do what we did before and try to get by on the glamour.”

“Realistically we’ll only be able to hold it for an hour or so, I can’t handle much more than that,” Viktor said. “We have to work fast.” Aris nodded.

“Robbie, are you ready?” Viktor asked. Robbie slowly nodded and they got into position, crouched behind a rock a distance away from the suspected territory entrance.

The first part of the plan was to wait for a guard Elf who would come out of the manual entrance and go up to the surface to make sure it was safe

“Why can’t we just follow that Elf outside instead of going into the fucking _territory_ , Aris??” Robbie asked.

“Because how the hell are we going to hide in these tunnels? He’d hear us from a mile away,” she shot back, effectively ending all discussion.

And so they waited, all of them silently dreading the next few hours.

*

“There he is!” Aris hissed after a while. They watched as the stone wall melted away in the shape of a door and a black-haired Elf walked out, jogging past them down the tunnel. Immediately Robbie felt like someone hit in in the stomach with a soccer ball. This Elf looked so much like…

“Robbie, are you ok??” Viktor whispered, catching Robbie before his head hit the floor. Robbie looked around, slightly dazed.

“Yeah f-fine, just dehydrated that’s all,” he assured them. Aris looked skeptical but had no time to argue; they had to move fast before the entrance closed up.

“Put up your glamours guys, we have to go,” Aris whispered, conjuring her own. When they were sufficiently disguised, they crept through the entrance.

Instantly Robbie’s enthrallment bands came to life, burning with a heat strong enough to make him whimper in pain. He heard Viktor gasp and knew the same happened to him.

“What, what is it?” Aris asked, panicking. “What happened?”

“It’s the bands,” Robbie grunted, the burning starting to recede.

“That was…weird,” Viktor mumbled, wincing as he poked the bands gingerly. 

“Come on guys, we only have an hour to find the exit.”

Robbie panicked _hard_. He was extremely out of his element, and although the Elves walking by completely ignored their presence, he felt vulnerable and exposed. Literally every single part of this plan could go wrong. Why had he jumped into this so unprepared? He should have offered other ideas; there must have been an easier way…

“I say we wait for the guard Elf to come back with the green light. Then we watch and see where the Elves leave,” Viktor whispered.

“Okay, good idea. It’ll look too suspicious if we hang around the exit though, we should walk arou— _Robbie, your bands_!” Aris hissed, quickly yanking down Robbie’s sleeves.

“What are you doing?! You’re going to draw attention!” Robbie whispered.

“Your bands were showing, what did you expect me to do??”

Robbie nervously looked around and saw a green-haired Elf giving him a strange look. Thankfully the Elf walked past them, but Robbie couldn’t shake off his anxiety.

“Viktor, where are you going?” Aris followed Viktor down a nearby corridor.

“You said to walk around, so that’s what I’m doing. We should find the kitchen.”

“Walk around as in _avoid crowded areas_ ,” Robbie groaned. “How can you think about food right now?”

“We haven’t eaten in who knows how long? I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

As if on cue, Robbie’s stomach growled viciously. He _was_ hungry, but if he ate something he was sure he would throw it back up. Instead, he tucked a few bread rolls from the kitchen into his pockets for when his stomach was calmer. He wandered towards the exit and looked around. The green-haired Elf from before was back, staring at the door.

_He’s probably part of the supply run team_. But Robbie still felt uneasy.

The exit melted away and the guard Elf jogged in.

“All clear!” he panted. The green-haired elf strode towards a narrow tunnel by the kitchen.

The time had come. Robbie forced himself to walk calmly back to Aris and Viktor.

“Guys, the guard Elf is back,” he murmured. “I saw another one walking that way,” he motioned at the narrow tunnel.

“Okay, let’s stick together,” Aris said, nervously wringing her hands together. “The supply team is probably small so we will stick out. If anyone asks, we are last-minute additions.”

“Do you think that’ll work?” Viktor asked her. Aris shrugged.

“It’s the best we’ve got. Let’s go.”

They crept toward the tunnel. It was dimly lit, uncomfortably tight, and completely deserted.

 “Robbie, are you sure this is right tun— _oomph_!” Aris shrieked.

“What—” Before Robbie could process what was happening, someone grabbed him from behind and wrapped a hand tightly around his mouth.

“I knew something was off about you three,” someone hissed, jerking Robbie’s sleeves up to reveal the bands.

“Let me go!” Robbie tried to yell. He thrashed against the Elf and caught a glimpse of green hair.

“Robbie!” Aris screamed. He saw her Elf on the ground, blood gushing from his arms. “Use something!”

Viktor grabbed the elf who had him in a chokehold and tried for a burning spell but only managed a few wisps of smoke. Aris shot him a tortured look and threw another cutting spell at the elf, who couldn’t deflect it in time and yelped in pain as cuts covered his face. Viktor took the moment to break free of the Elf’s grasp and sprinted out of the tunnel.

Unable to think of anything else, Robbie attempted the same burning spell but the Elf easily repelled it.

“Robbie, they’re leaving, we have to go!” Aris cried. “Viktor, where are you?!”

The Elf holding Robbie aimed a curse at Aris but it bounced harmlessly off her enthrallment bands. Robbie tried his burning spell again and this time it caught the Elf by surprise, making him drop his hold. Robbie hurried after Aris but the Elf grabbed the back of his shirt and he crashed into the hard floor.

“We heard about an escape from a nearby territory. You Faes aren’t nearly as discreet as you think you are,” the Elf spat.

“Aris, don’t leave!” Robbie cried out in a strangled voice. He knew he was being selfish but he couldn’t go through this, not again, not alone.

“Robbie, I’m sorry!” She blinked back tears. “We’re going to come back for you!”

“No _please_ , Aris wait!” He reached out to grab her hand but the Elf yanked him back and then just like that she was gone, running after Viktor.

Robbie stared blankly at the place she stood, the despair and loneliness and betrayal and emptiness crashing together inside of him.

The Elf dragged him in silence to what Robbie assumed was the cell block. He heard the sounds of little feet running up to them and looked up to see a child hugging the Elf.

“Hey buddy,” the Elf grinned, ruffling the child’s hair. “You wanna come with me on another raid next week?”

“Yea Dad, can I?” the child asked, instantly perking up. He craned his head around the Elf and peeked at Robbie curiously. “Who’s this?”

“No one important,” the Elf said dismissively. “Go find your mother, I _believe_ she has a present for you.”

 The child ran off, shouting excitedly.

The Elf reached the cell block and pushed Robbie into the nearest cell, locking the door behind him. Robbie staggered to his feet and stared silently as the lock clicked into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! So Chapter 14 will be the last chapter for this part. Ch 12 is the first part of a 2 part chapter, and I had originally written it as one chapter but it ended up being like 15 pages on microsoft word so I decided to split it up into 2 parts. The second part will come by tomorrow at the latest (already written, just gotta proofread). Thanks!


	13. Chapter 13

“We did a bad thing Viktor,” Aris sobbed, covering her tear-stained face with her hands. Viktor rubbed her back soothingly.

“We had to go, there wasn’t another way. Now at least we can come up with a plan to break him out. What good would it do if all three of us were trapped down there?”

“Then he wouldn’t be by himself,” she moaned, fresh tears falling out of her eyes.

They were hiding behind a tree a small distance away from the raiding team. It seemed as though the group was waiting for someone else—the Elves were hanging around the entrance, looking at each other uncomfortably.

“—said a couple days ago that he’s planning to bring his son to next week’s raid,” an Elf whispered to someone that Aris couldn’t see.

“Dunno why he keeps bringing him,” his friend grumbled. “Only slows the rest of us down.”

“And last time he fell into that trap, remember? And we wasted an hour getting him out.”

“Yeah but don’t let him hear you say that or he’ll have your head.”

They walked closer to the entrance, still complaining under their breaths. Aris considered their words, a plan already forming in her mind.

“I know you have an idea, so just tell me,” Viktor prompted.

“The son, we can take him as leverage.”

Viktor balked at the idea. “Wait what? Aris, he’s just a child.”

Aris rolled her eyes. “Of course we’re not going to actually _hurt_ the kid, just make a Deal with whoever the dad is to get Robbie out in exchange.”

Viktor hesitated, not sold on the idea. “I think the dad is someone important though, you heard the Elves right? Could we manage that?”

A voice boomed out over the group and they paused to listen.

“Ok everyone, you all know the plan. We meet back here in three hours.” Aris snuck a glance from behind the tree and saw the Elves bowing to a green-haired Elf before taking off in different directions.

“Viktor,” she said slowly, “that Elf from the tunnels, the one who caught Robbie. That’s their _King_.”

*

Robbie sat in the corner of his cell, both hands around the tiny patch of clovers he found growing.

“Please talk to me,” he begged them. “I am a Fae, separated from my Court. I need your help.”

The clovers’ energy stirred weakly, sluggish from years of isolation.

“Please, I need your help,” Robbie repeated.

_Faery…in an Elven territory…this cannot be. Who are you really?_

“I am a prisoner,” Robbie gritted his teeth. “I need help getting out.”

_Too far down…you cannot fly out of here._

“I know that, so how can I get out? How far underground am I?”

_Use the exit, three hundred paces from this door._

“Three hundred paces in which _direction_? It’s a two-way tunnel,” Robbie urged.

_Towards the corner that light does not penetrate._

“Please, I need more than that,” he pleaded _._ The clovers’ energy murmured in disagreement and began to fade. “No, don’t go, please I need more information, please!”

He waited desperately.

Nothing.

Robbie punched the wall in anger and put his head in his hands, sobs wracking through his body.

*

They waited three days before solidifying their plan.

With no way to contact each other, Aris could only hope that the plan would work, and that Robbie hadn’t yet given up on them.

After eavesdropping on the Elves, Viktor confirmed that it _was_ the King’s son who would be on the next raiding group.

“We’ve fought off Elves in their own territory before. This is nothing,” Aris said, trying to convince herself.

“We’re two fully powered Faes. They should be shaking in their boots,” Viktor smiled nervously. And it was true—over the last few days Viktor and Aris had refilled their depleted magic stores and practiced for hours on end. This was their best shot at getting Robbie out.

*

For three days, Robbie had been locked in his cell. No one had come near his door save for the Elf delivering food.

Robbie held the plastic food tray now, thrusting it from hand to hand to give himself something to do.

He seethed with anger. How could they do that to him? How could his _friends_ leave him with the Elves to rot? He wasn’t even the one who had pitched the idea and yet here he was, trapped in another territory. His anger rose and the enthrallment bands begin to burn again. The angrier Robbie grew, the worse they burned.

Robbie thought of Aris and Viktor at home in their Courts, _free_. He thought of them laughing at him for not getting out in time, for being too slow. He thought of them flying through open skies and being with their families and friends, and something inside of him snapped. His anger peaked until he felt like he had to get up and _do_ something or else he would die from all the rage and betrayal and jealousy building inside of him—

“Ouch!” he screeched, suddenly dropping the tray as a terrible fiery pain snaked its way up his arms from the bands. What was happening? The only other time he remembered the bands doing this was when he was in the other territory…when the Elf was summoning him.

Robbie wiped the tears from his face after the pain faded and bent to pick up the tray.

Except that wasn’t a tray, not anymore, it was just a melted lump of hot plastic.

“What the…” Robbie knelt to his knees and looked at his hands.

His palms were scorched black, but they didn’t hurt. He picked up what used to be the tray and turned it over and over, trying to figure out what he did.

Robbie held it tightly, closed his eyes, and tried to melt it again but nothing happened.

“Why won’t you just _stop?”_ he shouted impatiently to the prickling bands.  He yanked his sleeves up and—

“What the fuck is this?” Robbie breathed. His bands used to glitter with a sinister green.  Now, it was a bright orange. _“What the hell??”_ None of this made sense…when had the colors suddenly switched—

_It must have something to do with the King, whoever it is here_ …

Is _that_ where his mystery power was coming from? Robbie traced his fingers over the delicate gold designs, wondering how he could use them to his advantage.

*

Four days after that, Robbie had his first visitor.

The green-haired Elf stood at the door, the child from before standing by his side. Hot fury coursed through Robbie’s veins at the sight of him and he glared with the most withering look he could muster. 

“Hello, Fae. I trust you’ve been doing well down here?”

“What the hell do you want?” Robbie spat, the now-familiar heat beginning in his bands. Robbie still hadn’t fully figured out the trick to his sudden source of magic, but he understood enough to know that if he got _really angry_ , he could do incredible magic.

Luckily, getting _really angry_ down here was not hard.

“I spoke with your Master. He will be arriving to collect you shortly.”

For just a fleeting moment, Robbie was confused. He had no Master here, what was the Elf talking about?

But then the realization hit him.

“I am _not_ going back,” Robbie growled in a low voice, the burning growing more insistent.

“I must say, this whole… _episode_ …with you and the other Faes have certainly made our alliance stronger. I suppose I should thank you for that,” the Elf continued. Then he frowned and rubbed his forearms, narrowing his eyes at Robbie. “Is that you who is doing this? Stop this right now.”

That jolted Robbie out of his thoughts. “ _You’re_ the King?” The Elf blinked at the seemingly irrelevant question.

“Yes, I am.”

Faint red tinged the edges of Robbie’s vision. He wanted nothing more than to throw curses at the Elf until he stopped moving, until he stopped speaking, until he couldn’t hurt anyone anymore. Robbie wanted to punish him, to punish all of them for what they were doing.

Robbie’s wings exploded out of his back in a sudden wave of anger. The Elf jolted in surprise but quickly regained his composure, ordering the child away.

_The child!_

That was his way out!

Robbie turned to the boy again, who was still clutching his father’s leg, face pale with fear. He had brown hair and innocent brown eyes, and apart from the tiny points on his ears, he could almost pass as human.

Almost.

Robbie hated himself for what he planned to do but if all went well, the child would be fine.

“If you don’t put these away,” the Elf snarled, gesturing at his wings, “I’m going to rip them off of you.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Robbie yelled, snapping his wings once so that a powerful gust of air blew over the Elf.

Before the Elf could react, Robbie locked eyes with the child, allowed the burning hatred to swallow him, and mouthed a single word.

_Summon._

A red fog lifted from Robbie’s bands and glided towards the child, pulling him back to Robbie.

“What is this?!” the child panicked, trying to fight his way out of the fog. Robbie quickly grabbed him, feeling sick to his stomach at what he was doing but knowing there was no other way.

“Just stay calm, son!” the Elf shouted, then winced and grabbed his own arms again. “This _is_ you! What are you doing?”

The question threw Robbie off. “You don’t know?” he asked, baffled. “How could you not? Bands are _Elven_ magic.”

“I’ve never seen magic like this before,” the Elf grunted, pain etched in his face. “Let my son go!”

“I’m not going to hurt him if you let me out!”

“I know you’re bluffing, Fae. You would not dare harm a child!”

Robbie held out his right hand, delved deeper into his wells of anger, and called a ball of fire to his palm. Bright, hot light filled the cell, and the Elf hurried to shield his eyes.

“Do you really want to test me, Elf? When I’m holding your son hostage?”

“Let him go!” the Elf roared. He made a step forward and Robbie threw the ball of light, smiling faintly when it collided with the Elf and sent him flying backwards.

“Make a Deal with me that you will let me leave this place, and I will let your son go,” he ordered while the Elf staggered to his feet. The Elf’s eyes trailed from Robbie’s fully extended wings to the red-hot bands and he nodded tightly.

“Do you swear that you will let me out of this territory unharmed in exchange for the safe return of your son?” Robbie asked, picking up on the slight energy shift in the room.

“I swear,” the Elf said. The room’s energy protested, not quite wanting to accept a Fae Deal in an Elven territory, then stilled with a quiet pop when the Elf waved his hand dismissively at it.

“Then it’s a Deal,” Robbie confirmed.

“Now put these away,” the Elf demanded, pointing at Robbie’s wings. Robbie tucked them in safely and walked out of the cell, the Elf trailing behind.

“I’m going to put a glamour on the two of you,” he said, “otherwise I cannot guarantee your safety, Fae.”

Robbie allowed it, hesitant but also confident in the Deal, and when he and the boy were hidden underneath the glamour, the Elf lead the way towards the back of the tunnel they were standing in, where it was pitch-black. The clovers’ words hung in Robbie’s ears.

“Step here,” the Elf ordered, pushing Robbie roughly onto a small stone step. He placed his hand on the wall and muttered some words under his breath. Robbie felt a rush of cool air and suddenly he was _warm_ and he felt _trees_ and he looked up and saw the sun. He dropped his arms from around the child and the boy ran to the Elf.

The tension on Robbie’s shoulders faded and he knew the Deal had been completed.

Robbie was free.

Without so much as a backward glance, he took off running through the forest.


	14. Chapter 14

He didn't know how long he had been running, only that the surge of adrenaline was the only thing keeping him going. The trees were a blur around him as he sprinted far, far away from the territory's entrance. His heartbeat pounded in his ears and his legs threatened to give out from under him but still he kept running. 

After many miles, Robbie finally started to slow down. With his magic stores completely depleted and his friends gone, he was alone, without a plan, and absolutely terrified. Instead of being euphoric at his freedom, Robbie felt hopelessly lost and useless. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know what to do, and he didn't know how to find help without having to wait _days_ for his magic to replenish so that he could send a signal to Glanni. 

A searing pain suddenly swept through his bands and disappeared just as quickly as it had come. Robbie pulled his sleeves up to reveal bands that once again shone with green. He impatiently tugged his sleeves back down, not knowing how their magic worked and not caring either. At the moment he had more important things to worry about.

Like what the hell he was supposed to do now.

Walking slowly through the undergrowth, Robbie scavenged for berries and roots and other things he vaguely remembered were edible.

He had to find a place to rest for a few days—this forest wasn’t safe, not with a territory entrance so close by.

Robbie wandered aimlessly for another mile, the exhaustion finally seeping in. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and glanced around for a tree he could sleep in for a while. That’s when Robbie noticed that the forest was thinning, and there was— _something_ —not that far away…

If he squinted hard enough he could just make out the outlines of a few small houses and short buildings in the distance.

With newfound vigor and a clear destination, Robbie made his way towards the houses. Eventually the forest floor gave way to a cobblestoned path and a city limit sign. Robbie shielded his eyes against the sun and read the words printed neatly on the sign.

_Welcome to Lazytown._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all, folks! This is the end of part 1. For those who stuck out this long, thank you so much for reading and commenting! It makes me so happy knowing that people see this and respond and like it! Part 2 will be under a different title (WIP) and will be posted soon hopefully!


End file.
